Modern medical laboratories perform various analytical tests on specimens of the same type and on specimens of different types and at numerous workstations, often in the same room or in adjoining rooms. The specimens are presented to the laboratory in containers of various sizes, shapes and colors, with coverings or caps, etc. For example, in one large hospital, thirty-two containers are employed routinely. This is obviously a complex operation. For example, different types of urinalysis testing as well as blood testing may be performed. The blood may be received either with or without anticoagulants, depending on the analyte to be tested and the method of testing. The system is further complicated by the fact that the specimens come from numerous patients. This requires absolute accuracy in specimen identification and traffic control. It is in this general environment that the present invention is intended to perform.
It is an object of this invention to automate the pre-analytical portions of such a laboratory by the use of a computer operated magnetic conveyor system.
Magnetic conveyors basically fall into two broad categories. The first employs magnets fixed to traveling nonmagnetic belts such as rubber or neoprene. The magnets are releasably engageable with ferromagnetic articles or articles having at least a ferromagnetic portion. While traveling on the conveyor, the articles are maintained in fixed position in engagement with their respective magnets on the belt and do not slide or otherwise move relative to the conveyor belt.
The second category of magnetic conveyors includes those in which the conveyed articles, themselves, either are magnetic or have magnetic means on them. They are carried by ferromagnetic belts as, for example, stainless steel. Once positioned on the traveling belt, the conveyed articles do not always stay in their original locations. Since the entire belt is ferromagnetic, the conveyed articles may slide relative to the belt while still maintaining their magnetic attraction. An advantage of this type of system is that should there be a stoppage of one article, the other articles may pile up against it without doing damage because, while the articles themselves may come to a halt, the traveling belt can continue moving beneath them. This type of conveyor is ideally suited for automating a medical laboratory.
In instances where a conveyor system is intended to convey articles that are not homogeneous or destined for the same ultimate locations, as in medical laboratories, the conveyor system must, of necessity, have more than one conveyor segment, be branched or have multilevels with traffic control means to direct the nonhomogeneous articles to their destinations in accordance with their kind, shape, color, contents, etc. The basic design of such modules should ideally allow for asynchronous movement along connected segments.